What Could Have Been
by The Forgotten Nobody
Summary: Harry dreams about what could have happened if he had inherited his father's illness. Based on TASM2 film. AU


Flashes of a life that could have been fly through Harry's head as he dreams and mix with the life he currently lives.

_He meets Peter when he arrives back in New York. _

_He finds out he has the same illness as his father. _

_They go on a date to the beach, except neither one of them calls it that. _

_The symptoms begin to show – the tremors, the aches – he's turning into his father. _

_Harry meets Gwen Stacey and is instantly jealous. _

_The only way he can cure himself is if he has Spider-Man's blood. _

_Peter reassures Harry by asking him to be his boyfriend. _

_There's a man, he calls himself Electro…_

_Peter and Harry move in together, paying half the rent each because Peter refuses to be a 'kept man'. _

_The armour covers him, healing him but taking control of his body and mind. _

_Harry buys a ring. _

_He's fighting Spider-Man but Gwen's there too. _

_Peter proposes and Harry yells at him. They make up later, both wearing their engagement rings. _

_Gwen Stacey dies. _

"Harry, come on Harry. Wake up; you're having a bad dream."

Harry heaves in a lungful of air as his eyes snap open and his hands reach for the closest thing which happens to be Peter. He's moving on instinct as he presses his body against Peter's, face pushed against Harry's shoulder. Warm arms encircle him and Harry takes comfort from them as he tries to get his breathing back under control.

"You're ok," Peter soothes as he rubs his hand up and down Harry's back. The cool chill of the ring contrasts with the warmth and it reminds Harry what is real. He's Harry Osborn, 23 years old, CEO of Osborn Industries and soon to be husband of Peter Parker. He's not the Green Goblin, he's not a villain…it had just felt so real though…it was so vivid…

"I killed Gwen," Harry gasps out, the panic taking control once again and distorting his memories.

Peter's hand stills. "What? No you didn't."

"I saw it. I was the Green Goblin. I was fighting you and she was there. I took her and you tried to save her except she died and it was my fault. I wanted to hurt you." Tears pool in Harry's eyes against his will. "Why did I want to hurt you?"

"Harry, you're not making any sense," Peter tells him. His hand resumes it's stroking but suddenly Harry can't handle Peter touching him and he retracts himself, trying to ignore the wounded look he receives. He doesn't deserve it. How could he want to hurt the man he loved?

Harry knows logically it was a dream, that his mind made it all up from a worry that had been ingrained in him since he first found out his father was sick, but it had all felt so real, it _could have been real. _If Harry had been unfortunate enough to inherit the same illness as his father, everything Harry just dreamed could have been reality. He would have never dated Peter, would have never become engaged to the man. No, he'd try to kill him instead, make him suffer. Harry only just realises he's shaking, tremors wracking his body.

Peter reaches out to him. "Come here. Tell me what happened in your dream."

Peter will hate him, the irrational part of Harry tells himself, but even so he does inch a bit closer. Not satisfied, Peter crosses the remaining distance between them and slowly puts his arm around him, giving him the chance to push away if he wants to. Though he does want to escape, a small part of him doesn't and craves the contact. Harry chooses to listen to that small part as he recounts the dream to Peter, stumbling over his words when the memories become more intense. All the while he keeps his gaze averted, not wanting to see the disgust and horror on Peter's face. Tear drops land on Harry's clenched hands as he waits for Peter to tell him what he now knows. He's a monster.

"Oh Harry…," Peter says softly. "You just had a bad dream. You didn't do any of those things. Gwen's fine, Electro was dealt with and I don't hate you. How could I?" Peter joins their left hands together, their rings shining brightly. "Even if you had inherited the illness we would have figured something out. None of that would have happened. It was a nightmare, that's it."

"You don't know that," Harry croaks.

"Yes I do," Peter replies firmly, tightening his hand. "Come on Harry, you wouldn't think I'd let you go without a fight do you?"

"We weren't together in the dream."

"There you go then, that just proves it would never happen. I love you Harry and I can't imagine being without you."

"But what if-"

Peter silences Harry with a kiss. For a second, Harry is too stunned to reciprocate until desperation claws at him and he's pushing back with a force that sends Peter falling backwards, Harry landing on top of him. The kiss provides him with the reassurance he desires and grounds him in reality. Eventually the need for oxygen becomes too much and Harry pulls back.

"Feeling better?" Peter asks breathlessly.

Harry merely responds by placing another kiss against Peter's lips, this one gentler and saying thank you. They rearrange themselves back under the covers and tangle their limbs together. Whereas Peter falls asleep nearly immediately, his soft snores breaking the silence, every time Harry closes his eyes he sees the reflection he saw in his dream. Green skin, deranged eyes, he knows that's not gim but even so it chills him to think he could get to such a state of madness. It may not be his life now but Harry bets if there were such a thing as parallel universes then there is one where Harry Osborn no longer exists and the Green Goblin does.

* * *

_So, a bit more angst-filled than my other one-shots but I seem to need to write a nightmare fic for every fandom I write for. If you have any prompts or suggestions for other one-shots I'd be happy to hear them. _


End file.
